Turkey and Jordan agreed last February to establish mechanisms of cooperation in military training that cover such areas as military intelligence, cyber defense and special forces training.
The detailed agreement, a copy of which was obtained by Nordic Monitor, lays out 26 areas of cooperation between the two countries including but not limited to cooperation in the field of military training in “military intelligence matters,” “electronic warfare and cyber defense matters” and “Special Forces Command.”
The deal also sets forth conditions on the handling of classified information and documents produced or provided under the agreement, specifying how they shall be exchanged, used or protected.
The agreement was concluded in Amman on February 20, 2018, when then-Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar (currently defense minister) met with his counterpart, Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat, and King Abdullah II.
One day before the agreement was sealed, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had also paid an official visit to Jordan and met with Abdullah.
The agreement was signed into law by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey on April 30, 2018. It appears the Turkish government rushed the agreement through parliament given the fact many international agreements have taken years to clear the legislature.
The agreement expires in five years with automatic renewals.
The Turkish and Jordanian militaries conducted two exercises in Jordan on border security December 15-22, 2018. The two countries have been holding joint military drills since 2000.
